With a Mission Viejo resident within earshot,a trio of UDR/Pacific representatives stood outside city hall last week, grousing about doing business with the city. (The developer on Sept. 19 received the council’s go-ahead for a high-density housing project on the former Kmart site, ending any need to be careful who hears.) Among the comments, one developer lamented about the effort of getting the project pushed through. A second one said, “It’s a lot easier doing business with Ladera Ranch.” The third said, “If the dam breaks back east [in Tauton, Mass., after heavy rain, including an Oct. 18 downpour], we’ll have a whole new set of issues to contend with.” Perhaps Mission Viejo residents would make the connection that UDR/Pacific’s plan to build housing below a dam isn’t a good idea.

The developers’ lament continued: the $3 million park donation the city wants is too high. Putting in low-cost housing isn’t profitable. Senior citizens try to qualify for affordable units but they make too much money. The three developers didn’t complain about the high cost of donating to campaigns to buy council votes. Apparently, it’s a good investment in “developer world” when a few thousand dollars comes out of petty cash and creates a windfall for the project’s investors.

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A civil engineer – a real one who isn’t on the UDR/Pacific payroll – looked at the site after the council’s Sept. 19 vote. He said the earthen dam above the property would take several days or more to drain via the pipe beneath the dam. He added that water would rush out quickly in the event of an earthquake or other event causing the dam to fail. Contrary to UDR/Pacific’s claims, he expressed great concern the drainpipe beneath the dam and the pipes to divert water away from homes wouldn’t prevent a deluge from damaging housing below the dam.

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Dan Joseph has a job, although a temporary one. He’s serving as interim city manager for Aliso Viejo until the new city boss starts on Nov. 28. Dan likely won’t receive a whopping check for leaving or such parting gifts as taxpayer-owned computer equipment, as was his largesse here. Speaking of former employees, where is former Deputy City Manager Rick Howard now? It’s interesting that someone making more than $100,000 left and no replacement was needed.

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Residents are frequently seeing former City Councilman Bill Craycraft around town. Bill says he’s been asked to run again by residents and someone on the dais as well. Is a Craycraft-MacLean ticket in the offing?

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Who should run for City Council in 2006? Dr. Michael Kennedy, Bo Klein, Don Wilder, Alan Gallup and Brad Morton get frequent mentions for leadership and making a difference in the community. Watch political newcomers Jim Woodin, Kathy Miramontes and Dr. Michael Ferrell.

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The Capo USD recall is moving forward. Recall leader Kevin Murphy of San Juan Capistrano reported several weeks ago that 24,000 signatures had been gathered to recall each of seven trustees with a month remaining to circulate the petition. Only 20,000 valid signatures per trustee are needed to qualify the recall for the ballot, which would trigger a special election in February or March.

Rumors have circulated about CUSD Supt. Jim Fleming, whose salary is $274,000 a year: Was the $35-million administration center in SJC going to be named the Fleming Center before the recall hit the fan? Does Fleming have a $400,000 taxpayer-funded computer system in his house? Does Fleming have a driver to haul him around in his Mercedes, for which taxpayers kick in an $8,400 yearly car allowance?

With the administration center’s flap, a far worse construction project is getting no coverage. Estimates for the new high school in San Juan Capistrano are topping $120 million. Consider the cost of the land. In 1999, Dennis Gage purchased 256 acres from the UC Regents for around $3 million. In 2003, CUSD purchased 52 acres of the graded land from Gage for $52 million for the high school site. That’s not all. It’s under power lines and next to a landfill, which is allegedly belching methane. Even if it’s an exaggeration, one should not buy property in a neighborhood where rocks glow and the trees are humming.

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A letter writer in last week’s blog commented that all council members except Ury had already decided before the meeting how to vote on the proposed joint-use gymnasium. A question for the writer: if Ury hadn’t already decided, why would he ask “tough questions” that only impugned the deal and the school district? Whether by asking questions or supplying his own evidence against CUSD, Ury revealed approximately 20 arguments against the joint-use gymnasium. Ury’s discussion against the project was, however, more subtle than the approach of another council member who appeared to read prepared remarks in favor of the gym.

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Frequently asked question: what’s a blog? It’s a shortened word for Weblog, describing a personal Internet journal. Anyone can create a blog on the Internet and write about any subject.